


Highway to the Sun

by angsty_nerd



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M, Liz Ortecho is a big damn hero, Major Character Slowly Dying, Max Evans is the damsel in distress, Road Trip, alien brothers bonding, angsty fluff and fluffy angst, post-s2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:21:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28058361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angsty_nerd/pseuds/angsty_nerd
Summary: Noah’s heart is failing, and Max is on the verge of death. His final wish is to see Liz one last time, so he and Michael road trip to Los Angeles so that Max can say his goodbyes.
Relationships: Max Evans/Liz Ortecho
Comments: 13
Kudos: 25
Collections: Roswell New Mexico Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So excited to finally share this fic that I’ve been working on since July!! 
> 
> Mucho love and appreciation to @notsodarling for the outstanding companion art!
> 
> Mucho gracias to @wunderlass (formerly LaTessitrice) for doing a fabulous beta job and helping to greatly improve this thing!!
> 
> Title and lyrics at the beginning are stolen from Ray LaMontagne’s song.

__

_  
Lately it's the mornings when I miss her most of all_

_I miss her laughter, so long after that laughter's gone_

_There's no comfort in these tears that I cry_

_Wish I could find just one person to tell me why_

_I just want to wake up underneath that open sky_

_Just want to feel something real before I die_

_I don't know where I'm going_

_I've got miles and miles yet to run_

_Won't you follow me on the highway to the sun?_

_~Ray LaMontagne_

  
  


Max sat in the exam room chair, fidgeting, while Kyle silently studied his new test results. He kept tugging on a loose string at the bottom of his flannel shirt. His hand tapped anxiously on his knee as he waited. 

He trusted Kyle. He knew Kyle was just trying to do the right thing. But it still felt wrong to be at the hospital. Letting any doctor examine him, even if it was Kyle, made him feel like he needed to jump in his Jeep, peel out onto 285, and just make a run for it. Allowing anyone to run tests on him daylighted his deepest fears; making him feel exposed and defenseless. Even if it was for his own good.

Being examined like this...it even felt wrong when it was her… 

_No_.

He pushed away the image of Liz's gentle hands pressing sensors to his skin, while his heart pounded, intoxicated by how close she was to him.

He couldn’t think like that anymore. She was gone. And it was better this way.

“All right…” Kyle murmured, sliding the imagery of his heart across the table to him. “So this one is the clearest of your latest scans. You see that?” 

Kyle didn’t even need to point out the dark blotches. Max could see them clearly. “They’ve grown.” 

“They have. Significantly. It looks like maybe 5 percent since last time. See the difference?” 

Kyle pulled the previous scans out of the file folder in his hands. The difference was notable. 

“So how long do I have, doc?” Max asked with a self deprecating laugh.

“At this rate of degradation...maybe a year before the organ has fully rotted? But, Max...I don’t know how this works for someone like you. There’s no pain or anything?”

“No. There was initially. Any time I overexerted myself or used my powers. But ever since…” Max hesitated, taking a deep breath. “Ever since CrashCon, when I...uh…" Max swallowed. Saying it out loud, admitting it...he was ashamed of his behavior that night. The weakness inside of him that, when faced with certain death, allowed him to give in to his darkest instincts. "Since I almost killed Flint there’s been no pain. Whatever I did to him, it’s like it blocked those receptors.”

“That doesn’t change what’s happening inside of you though, Max. Your heart is rotting. The problem is, we don’t know how much degeneration it can tolerate and still sustain your life. Does it stop functioning at 50% degradation? 75%? You’re already at 15%, Max. That heart is a ticking bomb. And unless you stumble across a perfectly preserved alien body that can provide you a new heart, you are going to die.”

Max smiled sadly at Kyle. “Well, it’s not like it’s the first time. Maybe this time it’ll take.”

“I don’t know how you can joke about this.”

“What else am I supposed to do?”

“I don’t know, man. Write a bucket list? Say your goodbyes. Search the globe for signs of alien life? Drive to California.” The last one had a pointed sharpness to it that made Max flinch. 

“Can’t do that.”

“She’d want to know, Max.”

“Thanks for your help, Kyle. See you next time. Or at the Pony. Or whatever. Don’t forget…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ve got your file under lock and key.”

“Thanks.”

As always, Max left the hospital through a side door, trying to avoid small town eyes that asked questions he couldn’t answer.

While driving home, he kept mulling over Kyle’s question. A year. Likely less. What did he want to do with it?

His family and friends would want him to fight like hell to find a solution. But they had been through this before, back when he died the first time. They fought for him, committed felonies for him, put their lives on hold for months on end. And what was it all for? Here he was, just a few months later, and he’s still going to die. All their sacrifices were for nothing. So maybe it was time for him to make the decision for them. Maybe it was his turn to sacrifice, rather than give hope to the people he loved that this time he could be fixed.

Maybe he was just doomed to be forever broken.

He thought about the highway...driving into the sunset, Liz smiling beside him in the California sunshine. The ocean waves crashing beside them as they drove, windows down. He wondered what it would smell like, the fresh ocean air... 

Kyle was right. If he only had a year to live, he’d want to spend that year with her. But he couldn’t. She had been abundantly clear with him on one thing since he returned from the dead for the first time. She couldn’t lose him again. She couldn’t watch him die again.

No, he had made the right choice when he drove her away from him. She would be happier not having to go through this again. In California, she could be extraordinary, make life-altering discoveries. She was going to change the world, just like she'd always wanted. He refused to let her feelings for him hold her back anymore. She had already saved his life once. It was time for her to save human lives. 

It was time for Liz to forget about him.

He would never smell the ocean air.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He kept it a secret.

Secrets were easy for him after all. He had been keeping them his entire life. Being an alien, his special abilities, his feelings for Liz...all his life, he lied and stayed silent, pretended to be ordinary. Dying was just the latest in a long line of truths about himself that no one needed to know. It was easy.

Months passed in monotony, as Max pretended everything was normal and went about his repetitive routine. He worked his night shifts at the Wild Pony, met Michael and Isobel for lunch at the Crashdown, and had beers with Cam and Charlie. He continued his alien research, hoping to leave Michael and Isobel with as many answers as he could find documented in his journals. He wondered where Jones disappeared to after they released him from his decades of imprisonment.

He dreamed about Liz.

He wrote her letters that he never planned to send in a journal that he kept by his bedside. Honest, raw letters confessing why he burned her lab, why he broke her heart on purpose. He confessed that he loved her too much to let her love him back. He wrote to her about his health and his fears of dying, all of the things he kept hidden from everyone else. Maybe she would read them after he'd gone. Maybe she would be able to forgive him someday.

Kyle was the only one who knew his secret. Max had regular scans and follow up appointments with the doctor. He was always cautious, sneaking in through a side door and going straight to Kyle's office. Sneaking out the same way. Parking a few blocks away. So far, he'd managed to avoid questions, but he wasn't taking any chances.

His heart seemed to be degrading at a somewhat consistent rate. 25% degradation became 30%, and eventually 40%. On the surface though, all appeared normal. Except that as time passed, Max began to tire easier than normal. He would sleep heavy and deep...but when he woke in the morning, there was always a brief moment when the dreams still held his consciousness, right before reality swept back in, when he felt perfectly at peace. Because in his dreams he was with Liz, who was smiling in the sunshine, and he was happy.

Kyle thought that he was in denial, but that was far from the truth. Max had already died once. He'd already experienced the consequences of it. Just because he wasn't telling people, just because he wasn't fighting to find some miracle cure...it didn't mean he hadn't accepted the truth. He just wanted to live out the rest of his days in whatever relative peace he could find, given the circumstances.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was one morning, months into it all, that Max felt groggy and uncomfortable as he awoke. His body felt heavy in his bed and achy, like he had been hit by a train. As he groaned softly he suddenly realized that there was a soft, steady beeping in the room with him. A flex of his hand told him that there was a needle slipped into his vein. 

"Hey...take it easy, Max. You've been down for a while now."

"Michael?" Max asked groggily as he peeked his eye open. "Hey brother, what's going on?"

"I could ask you the same question. How long did you think you could hide this from us, Max?"

"Hide what?" Max replied lamely.

"Kyle came clean. We know you're dying...again. You passed out in front of your house. If it was winter...if Isobel hadn’t felt that something was wrong, you could be dead right now.”

“Maybe that’s for the best.” Michael glared at Max like he wanted to punch him in the face, but he managed to restrain himself.

“Don’t give me that crap. Did you even think about what this would do to Isobel?”

“Isobel’s strong. She’ll survive.”

“That’s bullshit, Max, and you know it.” Max cringed at the anger in his sister’s voice as she joined the conversation. He hadn’t even realized that she was there. “What happened to ‘it has to be three’? What happened to ‘all we have is each other’? You didn’t let me quit when I wanted to die from Liz’s serum. What makes you think we’re going to let you give up now?”

“You two plus Jones makes three too,” Max pointed out. “He’s healthy. He’s...well, he’s me! You don't need me anymore. I’m the spare part, the broken down thing that needs to be replaced with a better model.”

“He’s not you,” Michael argued.

“And he’ll never be able to replace you,” Isobel insisted.

“Anyway, your argument doesn’t work, Max. Where is the guy? He disappeared after we freed him and it’s been radio silence ever since. I’m guessing he isn’t particularly interested in the three of us.”

“Maybe not,” Max agreed softly. “But maybe I was never supposed to make it this long in the first place."

"If you weren't supposed to be here, we wouldn't have been able to bring you back, Max. You know, that's what pisses me off the most. How many months have you known about this? That's all lost time that Liz and I could have been working on--"

"No!" Max interrupted firmly. He could hear the panic in his own voice. The lights flickered and the steady beating of the machines reading his heart rate grew more erratic. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "No,” he repeated. "Leave Liz out of this. She's gone. She's...she's got a new life now. I'm not dragging her back into this." 

"She'd want to know. Do you know what we went through to save you the first time? She'd move heaven and earth to bring you back."

"Yeah, and it was hell. It nearly destroyed her. I'm not...I won't put her through that again. Please, man, just let it go. Let me go."

His eyes kept fluttering open and shut as he argued with Michael. Isobel seemed to notice that he was having trouble staying awake and cut Michael off before he could continue the argument, pushing Michael towards Max's bedroom door.

“Rest, Max. Kyle will be by this evening to check on you. Come on, Michael. We'll continue this conversation later.”

Max cringed at Isobel's sharp promise, but his concern about it didn't last long. He was already drifting off to sleep before the door even closed behind them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Kyle texted. Your scans are in."

Max closed his copy of Great Expectations and sighed, rubbing his eyes. "So he notifies you now instead of me?"

"Perk of being off the books at the hospital," Isobel told him with a smirk. "Plus, unlike you, he knew I'd be checking my phone. Do you even know where your phone is?"

"Eh, desk drawer," Max replied dismissively. "I think."

Now that he was too weak to work at the Pony, he didn't really have much use for the thing. The people who wanted to get ahold of him knew where to find him. 

"Is it charged?"

"Does it matter?" Max asked, his irritation rising. "I only talk to you and Michael anyway. And you're both always here these days."

"What if--"

"Don't say it," Max cut her off. 

"Whatever. I still think you should call her."

"Please. Don't."

Isobel paused, silent for a moment. Max waited, hoping desperately that she wouldn't push the issue. For once, she actually let it go though.

He had been doing significantly better since the day he collapsed, although he was still weak. The incident was a wake up call for Max. Not just accepting that Michael and Isobel needed to know the truth about his health. He also was forced to accept that he shouldn't be pushing himself like he used to. His body simply couldn't handle the strain anymore. 

After Kyle pumped him full of acetone, and Michael used his powers to adjust the settings of Max's pacemaker to attempt to manage the current degradation, Max broke down and apologized to his siblings and admitted that he needed their help for even the simple things in life now. Isobel and Michael had both stepped up and helped him in a show of support that Max didn't even feel like he deserved. 

It didn't change the fact that he was dying...but at least he felt a little less alone while he slowly shuffled off his mortal coil.

"Kyle wants to know if you want to come in, or do a video call to discuss the results." 

"Video is fine." Max sighed. "Just tell him to call me when he has time."

"You'll need to charge your phone," Isobel reminded him pointedly.

"I think I can manage."

She didn't push further, which relieved Max. After she disappeared to get back to whatever she was doing, Max pushed to his feet and made his way across the room to dig out his phone and stick it on the charger. He tried not to focus on how breathless he was by the time he sat back down.

His body was failing him.

It was a few hours later that his phone buzzed and Max accepted the video call request from Kyle.

"So what's the latest, Doc?" Max greeted him. 

"Well, it's news. Not sure any of it could be called good. Or all that bad, really. It's what we expected. Here's your scan."

Kyle pointed his phone at the latest imagery and gave Max a moment to study it. The degraded cells shadowed more than half of his dying heart.

"Looks like it's right on schedule," Max commented with a bitter laugh.

"Which means that Michael's adjustments to your pacemaker didn't slow the progression in the slightest," Kyle confirmed. "And the acetone didn't help either."

"It doesn't heal us," Max reminded him. "It's just a painkiller."

"How are you feeling?"

"Well I stopped doing anything remotely exerting, so I'm not planning to pass out again."

"Good," Kyle interrupted. "You need to listen to your body, Max."

"I hear you, Doc. It's pretty impossible to ignore at this point. I lose my breath walking across the room."

"You need to start preparing yourself for the end, Max. You're minimum halfway through this now. At most you have another 6 months. More likely, your heart will fail sooner."

"I get it," Max told him. "Thanks for all your help, Kyle. Until next time."

Max hung up the phone before Kyle could say another word.

None of it was a surprise, of course. But it was starting to feel more and more real. He was going to die. Likely soon.

Time was running out. And he was running out of strength to do anything with his time.

Did he want to spend his last days lying on his couch rereading all of his favorite books? Or did he want something more?

Liz's face popped into his mind's eye, and his heart skipped a beat. He longed for her, more than he'd ever wanted to admit. Even to himself. 

But she deserved better than suffering through the heartbreak of watching him die. Again. 

There's a reason he blew up her lab. This is why he broke both their hearts. 

He drove her away to save her from this suffering. 

She could never know about what was happening to him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Michael and Isobel were both in his house when Max woke up the next morning. He could hear the soft murmur of their voices before he was even out of bed. Kicking his feet around to rest on the floor, he dropped his head in his hand and sighed, as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. 

Pushing to his feet, he wobbled momentarily, before finding his balance. Even standing seemed hard these days. Max hated how weak he always seemed to feel.

He padded across the room to his dresser and grabbed a t-shirt, which he awkwardly pulled over his head. By the time he was at his bedroom door, he felt light headed and out of breath. He leaned against the closed door for a long moment, trying to regain control of his breathing. When he felt capable, he finally made his way down the hallway and dropped onto the couch beside Isobel.

"We stopped at Bean Me Up," Isobel greeted him. "Coffee and bagels?"

"Thanks," Max replied shortly. He couldn't say much more without showing them just how much getting out of bed drained him. Thankfully, they went back to whatever they were arguing about before Max joined them, so he was able to get himself centered, and eat his breakfast without saying much.

When he was done eating he finally addressed the issue.

"Okay, fess up. What are you doing here?"

Isobel and Michael exchanged a glance. 

"We were hoping you'd update us on what Kyle had to say yesterday," Isobel explained. 

"No more secrets," Michael reminded him. "You promised."

Max sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. He really didn't want to talk about it, but Michael was right. He did promise.

"I'm at or past the halfway mark now," Max told them. "At most I've got 6 months left...and that's assuming that I don't die until 100% of my heart's cells are dead. More likely I've got less, because at some point it probably won't be strong enough to sustain me anymore."

"And the adjustments to the pacemaker?" Michael asked.

"Didn't help," Max told him. "There's no last minute miracle that's gonna save me this time. My days are numbered."

"So what do you want to do with them?" Isobel asked him. 

"There's nothing to do with them," Max protested. "I'm too weak to do much of anything at this point. I'm just going to wither away."

"Come on, Max. There must be something. One selfish little thing that you want to do before you die."

This time Max didn't respond right away. Because Isobel's comment triggered something inside of him. One selfish thing… There was no question over what he selfishly wanted. He had been avoiding admitting it to himself, mainly because he was trying desperately not to be tempted, but God, did he want to see her face one last time. He couldn't...he shouldn't…but he let himself dream, for just one brief moment, that maybe he could see Liz one last time. 

And that was enough. Because his siblings saw it in his eyes.

"What? What is it, Max? Tell us," Isobel pushed. 

"Liz…"

Both Michael and Isobel froze. Max had refused to talk about her for months now, and they respected it and left it alone, for the most part. But now, after all of this time, he couldn't help himself.

"I just want to see Liz one last time."

"I can call her," Isobel offered. "I'm sure she'll come if we tell her."

"No," Max told her firmly. "She can't know the truth about what I'm going through. No. If I'm going to see her I have to go to L.A."

"I'll drive," Michael volunteered.


	2. Chapter 2

They hit the road the next morning, Michael driving Max's Jeep. A pair of matching duffle bags were tossed haphazardly in the back seat. Eddie Vedder's voice accompanied them through the radio speakers, setting the mood for a long day of driving. 

_ Hearts and thoughts they fade...fade away... _

The sun was still low in the sky behind them as they headed west on Highway 380 towards the Sierra Blanca Mountains, the jeep casting long shadows on the asphalt in front of them. The sky was clear and blue over the mountains. It was a practically perfect New Mexico morning. Max felt at peace as he watched the beauty of his home rush past. If he was nearing the end of his time on Earth, this road trip was a great way to go. One last opportunity to remind himself how lucky he was to have grown up on this planet.

He turned his head and studied Michael, who had his eyes trained on the road stretched out before them. Two years earlier, before Liz returned, he and Michael could barely stand to be in a room together. The weight of the secrets from the worst day of their life was heavy between them. Their relationship was in shatters. 

Now...so much had happened, so much had changed between them. Max marveled thinking about how much Michael had grown in such a short time. He was solid, steady, reliable. Max couldn't remember the last time he heard about Michael getting a drunk and disorderly, or caught him making out with a random woman at the Wild Pony. 

He knew Maria had a lot to do with the changes Michael had gone through. She had been a good influence on him. But Max thought there might be more to it than just Maria. Maybe Alex Manes played a role in Michael's transformation too. Or maybe it was freedom from the weight of the secrets they had kept for their entire life. Everyone who mattered to Michael knew the truth about him. It was like, for the first time in his life, he was free to be himself.

"What?" Michael asked irritably, breaking the silence.

"Huh?"

"You wanna make out or something? What's with the staring?"

"Oh, sorry,” Max hesitated whether or not to explain. Michael wasn’t really one for who was up for talking about the feels. But if being on his deathbed...or death passenger seat...didn’t give him a damn good excuse then nothing would. “I was just thinking about how proud I am of you. You've grown up so much the past few years. You don't need me looking out for you anymore. I'm glad."

"Don't get all sappy on me yet, Max. We've got a long road ahead of us."

"Yeah," Max agreed. "Thanks again, for coming with me. Not sure I could have done this alone."

"Don't mention it."

The highway curved its way up into the mountains, through Hondo, and past the raceway at Ruidoso Downs. The desert sage turned to cool pine trees as they climbed their way into the Mescalero Reservation. Within a few hours, they were through the mountains and back down onto the desert floor on the west side of the peaks.

They turned south in the city of Tularosa, heading across the vast basin towards Las Cruces, and Interstate 10, which would take them on a straight shot to California. Michael pulled over for a bathroom break near White Sands. As Max waited for his brother, he stared out across the bright dunes, remembering a fourth grade class trip to learn about the geology of the unique gypsum sand crystals. Liz had been so enthusiastic about the science of it, even at such a young age. He could remember hanging on her every word as she asked dozens of questions, excitedly soaking up knowledge. Nine years old and his heart already belonged to someone else; a captor who had no idea that she had the power to break it into pieces.

Back on the road, the jeep crawled through the city streets of Las Cruces. They grabbed some snacks in a gas station convenience store, before jumping onto the Interstate. Vast and wide, they picked up speed and rolled their way across the state line and into Arizona.

The warm sun streaming through the window and steady tread of the tires on the smooth roadway combined to leave Max feeling lazy and content. His eyes grew heavy and he began to doze, as the miles rushed quickly by.

It was a familiar dream he found himself in. Ocean waves and an open road. He was driving, one hand on the wheel, while the other held Liz's hand, resting lightly on the gear shift. Bright Eyes played on the radio, a lingering reminder of how long he had wanted this moment with her; since the day she told him that she had dreamed of seeing the ocean. 

"Max...wake up."

"Huh?" Max groggily returned to consciousness. Dreaming about Liz and waking to Michael wasn't exactly the easiest transition. It was like falling out of bed, waking up startled and unsettled...just before hitting the floor face first. 

In his dream he was slow dancing with Liz, sand between his toes, as he dipped her and captured her lips. There was an orange glow settling in as the sun began to set. 

When his eyes focused on the highway, he realized the light at least was based on reality. He squinted at the sight of the distant sun sinking low on the horizon. He couldn't help closing his eyes again and soaking in the sunlight for a moment, before turning his attention back on Michael.

"What's going on? Where are we?"

"Still in Arizona. But not for much longer. We're almost to the border. And the sun is setting. Thought you might want to be awake when you arrive in California for the first time. Plus, you'd miss your first California sunset if you're asleep."

"Thanks, dude."

Max looked around them. There...wasn't much going on. 

"It looks just like home," he commented.

"Yeah, well, we're still in the desert," Michael pointed out. "We've still got a few hours of desert ahead of us."

Michael had let the music lapse, so Max grabbed his phone and switched over to a Chris Stapleton song. He leaned his head back as the music started and stared out the window as the mile markers rushed past, slowly counting down the distance to the arbitrary borderline that separated him from Liz.    
  


_ Your forgiveness...that's something I can't buy... _

Of course there was so much else separating them. Secrets and lies…her science, his health...all of the things he never would be able to share with her, because he had been too uncomfortable with his alien side when she was still around, too afraid of how she would react to the changes he was going through.

Now all of those secrets would die along with him. Most of what he knew, he wrote down in his journals, hoping that someday Liz would want to read them. Michael and Isobel would keep moving forward, hopefully with Jones, once he returned and took Max's place in their trio. And he would just be gone. It was all for nothing.

_ I've got a problem but it ain't like what you think _

_ I drink 'cause I'm lonesome and I'm lonesome 'cause I drink _

"Here it comes," Michael commented.

Max sat up and watched as they approached the bridge over the Colorado River, marked with the big blue sign with the orange flowers on it announcing that they'd arrived in California. Distantly, beyond the sign, the sun reached the horizon line and slowly began to disappear from view. 

Max watched the oranges turn to reds and pinks, and eventually the deep indigo blue of the night sky.

"Wake me up when we're almost there," Max mumbled as his eyes began to sink shut. "Thanks for everything, brother."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The stillness woke him next.

After hours of the rumbling of his Jeep's engine, the vibration of the tires spinning across the asphalt, the quiet was loud enough to pull him out of the peace he found in his dreams.

"What's going on?" He sat up, wiping at his eyes, and surveyed their surroundings. They were parked in front of a cheap, roadside motel.

"It's late," Michael explained. "Let's get a room, rest, and we can find Liz in the morning."

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Can you make it to the office?" Michael asked, gesturing to the door a few hundred feet away. 

"Yeah, I'm good," Max insisted. 

He climbed from the Jeep, and steadied himself against the door for a moment, before slowly crossing the space to the office door. He tried not to let the clerk see how ragged he was just from the slight distance. Dropping his credit card on the counter, he paid for two nights, just in case, and then pocketed the key card. Once out of the office, he sagged, leaning heavily against the rough, stucco wall. 

"Hey, you okay?" Michael called out to him. 

"Just give me a sec," Max insisted irritably. He pulled the key card out of his pocket and offered it to Michael. "Room 126. Go ahead. I'll catch up."

"Yeah," Michael consented, but the uncertainty was apparent in his voice. He grabbed the key and headed down the building, eyeing the room numbers and occasionally glancing back to Max, before he finally paused and disappeared into a room. 

Once Michael was out of sight, Max took a ragged, deep breath, and then pushed himself off of the wall, staggering haphazardly forward a hundred feet or so, until he came to the next pillar, where he stopped to catch his breath. The door Michael disappeared behind was still a few hundred feet away. It felt like miles.

Max shifted, leaning back heavily against the rough stone surface of the mission style motel facade. He closed his eyes, and just focused on trying to steady his racing heart.

"Come on, dude. Let me help you." 

Max opened his eyes to find Michael standing in front of him, awkwardly shifting his weight back and forth.

"Yeah," Max agreed. "Thanks."

He leaned heavily against his brother, letting Michael support him, as slowly they staggered in unison down the corridor to their room. Max immediately felt lighter on his feet. Because, he realized, Michael was also using his powers to help Max along. 

Once in the room, Max sunk heavily onto the first of the two double beds. Michael disappeared into the bathroom, so Max took advantage of the solitude to strip down to his shorts and slip under the covers. 

"You good?" Michael asked when he returned to the room.

"Yeah, man," Max mumbled, barely still awake. 

"Good, gonna go make a phone call. Get some rest." 

"Mmm hmm," Max didn't even hear the door close behind Michael as he stepped out into the night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"It's about half a mile up. A right turn on Century Park. Then a left on…Constellation."

"Seriously?" Michael asked with a roll of his eyes.

"Dead serious. Don't roll your eyes at me. I didn't name the streets. Blame Liz for moving to this concrete jungle."

"This is all wrong," Michael grumbled. "How can Liz stand it? There's cars everywhere."

"You could make a fortune fixing them," Max pointed out.

"But I'd have to live here. I'd probably get arrested just for pulling my airstream up. Anywhere."

Michael followed Max's directions, pulling off of Santa Monica Boulevard into a sea of skyscrapers.

"I think it's that tall one ahead." Max pointed, gesturing at an office building with mirrored windows.

"So how are we gonna play this?" Michael asked.

"Just...pull over up there. Make sure we can see the front entrance."

Michael parked the jeep. They sat in silence for a long time, the sun beating through the windshield as Max kept his eyes glued to the Genoryx building.

"You know I was going to come with Liz, right?" Max suddenly threw out to break the silence. "She asked me to move here with her. And I said yes."

Michael snorted. "Max Evans...living here. I can't even imagine it. What would you even do in California?"

"Write, I guess. Doesn't matter now, though. Instead I blew up her lab and she left without saying goodbye. Again."

Max fell silent as he remembered the pain and anger in her voice as they fought...the last time he saw her. He suddenly understood why he needed to see her one last time. He couldn't have that fight be the last time he saw her before he died. He couldn't leave this world behind with that anger and betrayal and heartbreak in her eyes as his final memory of her. 

" _What's done cannot be undone_ ," Max quoted softly, mostly to remind himself. The temptation was there, inching its way inside of him. She was here. Genoryx was right in front of him. He knew he shouldn't want more, but...

"You know, we could just go in and ask for her at reception," Michael suggested, breaking Max's thoughts like a friggin' mind-reader. 

"No!" Max snapped, panicked at the thought of how easy it would be. He sighed and dragged a hand through his unruly hair. "Sorry, it's just that I don't want her to see me, Michael. She...she can't. Not like this. I promised her she'd never have to watch me die again."

"Then what are we doing here, Max?"

"I just want to  _ see _ her," Max explained. "So can we just...wait?"

"Yeah, man. Of course."

It was just past noon, and there were plenty of people milling around in front of the office building, coming and going with bags of takeout food, jogging on their breaks, or taking a spin through the nearby mall on their breaks. It was so  _ different _ than the small town life Max was used to. Working in a small town was so much quieter. There weren't options or obstacles really. He usually lugged a bag lunch with him. Or he and Cam would stop at the taco stand. Or he'd run to the Crashdown.

"Max…"

Michael nudged him, but he didn't need to. He saw her the moment she stepped out of the car and into the sunlight. 

_ How did she always manage to do that? _

Liz never hid in the shadows. Not like he always had. Somehow the light always found her, shining down like a spotlight, giving her an ethereal glow. She looked like an angel, like his own personal savior. 

" _...a star danced, and under that was she born…_ " Max murmured under his breath.

She wasn't alone, he suddenly realized. There was another woman with her, and Liz smiled and laughed, before she leaned in to embrace the other woman. Liz's friend got back into the car, but Liz just stayed on the curb, leaning against the car as she talked through the open passenger window. 

"You sure, Max? Last chance. She's right there."

Michael's voice startled Max out of his dumbstruck awe, and he just shook his head as he returned to reality.

"No. Nothing's changed. This… this was exactly what I needed. To see her smile. To know that she's, I dunno...happy. I can't ruin that. Let's go."

"If you say so," Michael agreed with a wry shake of his head. He fired up the engine and pulled back out onto the street. 

Liz was still there on the curb. Max watched as she stepped back from the car and waved goodbye. The other car pulled out as they passed, going the opposite direction from Max and Michael. Liz was still standing there, bathed in sunlight, as they turned the corner and headed back to the main drag.

He didn't look back again.

If he had, he would have seen Liz gasp, her hand flying to her chest as they passed the building. They would have seen Liz's eyes zero in on Max's jeep, eyes widening with surprise, just before it disappeared from sight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Citations! That’s right, I have citations to share.
> 
> First, songs...  
> Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town by Pearl Jam  
> Whiskey and You by Chris Stapleton
> 
> Then, Max is a big Shakespeare quoting nerd.  
> “What’s done cannot be undone.” is from Macbeth.  
> “...a star danced, and under that was she born…” is from Much Ado About   
> Nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

They returned to the cheap motel.

Max begged off any more activity for the day. He told Michael to go have some fun, and just crawled into bed. He slept peacefully, Liz's smile in the glow of the Los Angeles sun feeding the happiness inside of him as he rested. 

The next morning, they packed and prepared to head home. While Michael was in the bathroom, Max zipped his duffle bag shut, before dropping heavily into the motel room chair. He closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath before…

Nope, too late. He heard the bathroom door open and Michael saunter out. 

"Oooh, boy. I wouldn't go in there for a while!" 

"It's all good, man," Max told his brother softly. "I'm ready to go."

"You okay, man?" Michael asked. Max sighed heavily, and Michael threw his hands up, clearly frustrated by Max’s annoyance. "I know you hate me asking, but I need to know."

"I'm just tired. Packing drained me. It's fine. I'll sleep on the drive."

"Let me help you out to the car. You can rest there while I wrap up in here and load up the bags."

"Yeah...sure…"

Max hated admitting that he needed the help, but he couldn't deny it. Every single day it seemed he got weaker and weaker. The end was coming.

He leaned heavily on Michael as they crossed the parking lot to his Jeep. Michael opened the passenger side door and helped Max climb in. 

"Want me to tilt the seat?"

"Just a bit…thanks."

Michael rushed around the car and opened all the windows for him, as Max lay back, closing his eyes, and tilting his head just enough to feel the sun on his face.

"You good, Max?"

"Mmm," he mumbled. "... _in that sleep of death what dreams may come_ …"

"Shakespeare. Again. Yeah. You're fine, Max. I won't be long."

Max smiled. He could practically hear Michael roll his eyes at Max. He wasn't going to be able to annoy Michael much longer, so he had to take his chance while he still could. 

He felt himself drifting off into a light sleep. With the sun shining on his face, his shoulders lighter with the weight of missing Liz shed off of them, he felt better than he had in weeks. He thought about the Shakespeare quote that came to him the day before when he saw Liz, from Much Ado About Nothing.

_ A star danced and under that was she born... _

As he began to doze off, he pictured her face in his mind, as she stood in the sunshine in front of that enormous office building, smiling and laughing. She was happy. That was the only thing that mattered. He could die in peace knowing that she had moved on with her life.

He dreamed that he could walk up to her, kiss her, tell her he still loves her. Say goodbye. She would lean up on her tiptoes, a hand on his shoulder as she kissed his cheek and said his name softly, gently...worried.

"Max!"

She said his name again, this time alarmed. The hand on his shoulder tightened, shook him gently. He gasped and opened his eyes.

It wasn't a dream. 

"Liz?" He was groggy, confused. How was she here?

"Hi." She looked relieved. He must have scared her. She seemed to be studying him closely, her brow furrowed, as she asked, "Were you really going to leave without saying hello?"

There was hurt, disappointment in her voice, which mystified him. 

"I didn't think you'd want to see me. I...I didn't want to mess with your life. I just needed to see you one last time before I…"  _ Die… _ He couldn't say it. Not to her. "It was selfish. I'm sorry."

"You didn't think I'd care that you're dying?  _ Idiota _ !" Liz spit the insult out with an anger that made him wince. He was aghast at her reaction. Liz only cursed in Spanish when she was truly worked up. 

"I promised not to put you through this again,” he reminded her, as he tried to wrap his head around how angry she was at him.

"Max, I love you."

"You shouldn't."

"But, I do."

"I love you too."

"I know.” The passionate anger that boiled out of her moments before seemed to simmer down into a soft sadness. “That’s why I need you to come to Genoryx with me. I need to show you something."

"Liz, there's no point. It's time. Just...let me go."

"Please, Max? Just...do this one thing for me before you go home?"

Max closed his eyes again, trying to fight the stinging from the tears threatening to fall.

"Okay."

He felt her lips brush his cheek and it was the final straw. A tear dripped down his cheek, followed by another. Her lips brushed them away, even as he felt the shake of Michael throwing their bags into the backseat. 

"Liz," Michael greeted her, and she pulled away from Max to greet his brother. Max couldn’t help noticing that Michael didn’t seem surprised to see her there. They’d have to have a talk about it later, on the long drive home.

"Mikey," she responded, "Follow me back to my office?"

"Sure thing."

Twenty minutes later, Michael followed her into an underground parking garage beneath the building they had staked out the day before. She parked exactly one spot away from an elevator shaft. Michael pulled the jeep into the empty spot she left him.

Liz got out of her car and hurried around to Michael's driver door.

"You guys stay here for a minute. I'm gonna go get Max a wheelchair."

"No...I don't need help," Max protested from the passenger seat. He wanted to curse, to insist on walking in beside them, but his voice even sounded weak to his own ears.

"Good call," Michael loudly agreed in a no nonsense voice. Max cursed under his breath.

"One more thing. When we get up to my office, there's security cameras. If you shut them off it'll attract attention. I know it's risky, but I'm gonna need you to  _ subtly _ stay between me and the cameras, Michael. You're tall enough and I'm short enough that they won't see anything."

"How do you know for sure?"

"It worked before."

Liz hurried over to the elevator and punched the button. As she waited, she turned to look back at the Jeep. Max was sitting in the passenger seat, leaning heavily against the car door, watching her through the open window. Their eyes locked. Liz smiled softly and pressed her hand to her chest, just over her heart. Right where Max had healed her, marked her, and changed both of their lives forever. 

The elevator opened and she hurried inside, before he could even try to respond.

"Is this your doing?" Max asked Michael. "Is this how you spent your evening last night? Messing with Liz when I told you not to?"

"Hey, don't look at me!" Michael insisted. "She’s smart, Max. It’s no surprise that she figured out that you’re here."

She came back after a few minutes and steered the wheelchair over to the Jeep.

Michael hurried around to help him into the chair.

"I've got him, Liz. You just lead the way."

"I don't mind…" Liz insisted.

"Are you kidding me, Liz? Have you seen this guy? Even half dead, my brother is a hulk. I'm here to look after him. We're good."

" _ Gracias _ ," Liz thanked him and went to call the elevator back while Michael wheeled Max behind her. Liz held open the elevator door, while Michael pushed him in. And then she hit the button for the 19th floor, scanned a security badge, and they headed up.

The doors opened into a generic, windowless lobby, with only a few chairs and a telephone. Liz led them down a hallway and around a corner to a solid door with a small sign beside it adorned with the Genoryx logo. Another scan of her badge and they were through the doors into a large, empty reception area. 

"No one is really here on the weekends," Liz explained. "Which is good for us."

She led them through another security door, and down a long hallway lined with offices. At the end of the hallway was a solid office door with Liz's name on the wall beside it. She pulled out her keys and unlocked the door manually, before scanning her security badge again to let them in.

Her office was large. Floor to ceiling windows lined the back wall behind a large executive desk with a computer and papers strewn all over it. One wall had a large bookshelf on it, and a pair of closed doors on either side of it. There was a fully functional lab table on the other side of the room, including a sink, refrigerator, and storage cabinets.

Michael wheeled him over to her desk and parked him there. Max could see the downtown Los Angeles skyline in the distance, nothing but a concrete maze of buildings between here and there. He didn't really understand city life.

"Michael, help me get what I need from the closet?" Michael was quick to respond, positioning himself just as Liz had requested. She led him over to one of the closed side doors. Her keys rattled in her hand as she searched for the right one. There was no security pad on this door. Just a series of locks. Max watched as Liz unlocked each one with a separate key and then they disappeared behind the door. 

When they emerged, Max gaped at the sight of a glowing jar in Liz's hands. It looked just like the jars of organs from her secret lab...the lab that he blew up to break her heart and drive her away from him. He destroyed everything that day, so how could Liz possibly have retrieved it?

"Max… meet your new heart."

"I don't… I…" Max was speechless. "How?" He finally spit out.

"I created it for you. I did it right this time too. Your body won't reject this one the way it's doing with Noah's."

"I don't understand."

"A few weeks after I arrived in L.A., I had an unexpected visitor," Liz explained. And as she told them the story, suddenly things began to come clear.

~*~*~*~  _ A Few Months Earlier _ ~*~*~*~

“Dr. Ortecho, if you’re done, there’s a man waiting for you in your office.”

Liz narrowed her eyes at the admin. “What man?”

The admin hesitated. “Huh, I don’t think I got his name.”

“A man walked in and said he wanted to see me, and you just said okay and let him into my office without even getting his name?”

“I...I don’t know why I would have done that.”

“It’s a security risk.”

“I know that. I know. It’s so strange. He just asked me to take him to your office, and I just took him. I didn’t even question it.”

“Waiting room next time,” she directed firmly. “That’s why it’s there. For people to wait.”

“Of course, Dr. Ortecho.”

Liz shook her head. The admin was usually impeccable. She headed to her office to check on her unexpected visitor. A quick scan of her security badge unlocked the door, and she walked into the room.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she laid eyes on him.

He was standing behind her desk, his back to the office door, leaning casually against the floor-to-ceiling window that provided a dramatic backdrop of the Los Angeles skyline. 

“Max.” 

She was shook at the sight of him. It had been more than a month since she left Roswell, and they hadn’t spoken once. Not even a late night, whiskey-fueled text message from him, and now here he was. Standing in her office. In L.A.

“This planet changed so much while I was locked up. I ain’t never seen a city like this.”

He turned to look at her. There was something different about him. It wasn’t just the thick drawl. There was no warmth in his eyes, which seemed to study her, traveling up and down her body, like she was a specimen under exam. His hair was straighter, shorter, more controlled. His beard was longer than usual, but neatly trimmed. She didn’t like it. She liked it when he looked lazy, casual in appearance. Like he had just rolled out of bed and right into his patrol car. It made her want to slip her hands into his hair, mess it even more, as she thoroughly kissed the breath out of him.

“Sorry to disappoint you, darlin’, but I’m not Max. You’re just what I’m lookin’ for though. Liz Ortecho?”

He mispronounced her last name like most insensitive  _ pendejo _ would. Unless he was playing a cruel prank on her, this definitely wasn’t Max. No matter how much he looked like him.

“Who are you?” She asked. “Why do you look like Max?”

“Name’s Jones. And I’d ‘preciate you gettin’ this right. He looks like me. Your Max was cloned from me. Created by my people to replace me.”

“You were in the crash,” Liz realized as she tried to process that Max now had a doppelgänger running around in the world. Where had he been all this time?

“Yes ma’am. You might’ve heard of me. I was the stowaway.”

“You caused the crash.” 

Jones grinned at her, but it was a cold smile. “I was tryin’ to stop them women’s plans. They were crafty though. Locked me up in a prison pod way out in the desert. Spent 70 years waiting for someone to come, and then whadaya know. Them friends of yours released me a few weeks back.”

"Okay,” Liz processed his abbreviated story, but she was still confused. “But why are you here? In Los Angeles? In my office? What am I to you?”

"Thing is, I need your help keepin' my clone alive. You did some real nice work there, patching together that makeshift heart for him. But it's a temporary fix. You made, uh, let's just say, a flawed assumption from the start."

"What was that?" Liz’s scientific interest was suddenly piqued. Here was someone that actually knew some of the mysteries of alien science. She could learn so much from him.

"You were assumin' that Max is the same as this Noah fella. And them other two. He's not. He's a little different. His body needs something more to sustain itself. Eventually it'll reject that there heart you gavehim. And he'll either need a new one, a proper one, or he'll die. Now...if only you had access to a healthy exact replica to copy…"

Liz shivered as Jones grinned at her. His teeth were crooked and tobacco stained. 

"You're just gonna let me study you?" Liz asked him skeptically.

"Like I said, I need him alive. Take whatever you need from me to, uh, piece together a workin' heart for that boy."

"It's not just cells, I also need…"

"Inorganic technology from our planet," Jones interrupted. "Yes ma'am. I can walk you through that but. And I'll get everything you need for you "

~*~*~*~  _ Present Day _ ~*~*~*~

"I took most of the scans and biological samples that I needed from him that day and got started. He disappeared for about a week, and then came back with all of the alien tech that I needed and walked me through it all. Checked in every few weeks to make sure I was making sufficient progress. I've had this ready for you for a couple weeks. I was just… I dunno. Trying to figure out what it would take to give it to you? I never expected you to show up here."

"You grew created a new heart for me. Even though I broke yours?"

"Of course I did. I love you, Max. I don't want you to die." Michael and Liz returned the heart to Liz's closet, which Liz carefully secured again, before she turned back to him.

"The thing is, Max...I figured your health was probably getting poor, but I had no idea it was already this bad. I thought you'd call me before it came to this. I would have come home weeks ago if I had known how much you needed this quickly. I don't think it would be a good idea for you to go back to Roswell right now. I can ask Kyle to fly out for the surgery. And hopefully you're willing to stay here while you recover?"

Max nodded his agreement, but he was at a loss for words. Liz had done all of this. For him. Without question. Even after everything he had done to her. 

She awed him. 

Another Shakespeare quote popped into his mind.

_ I love you with so much of my heart, that none of it is left to protest. _

There was truth in the quote from Much Ado About Nothing. His heart burned with so much love for Liz Ortecho that not one, but two hearts had already failed him.

But this new heart would be fully Liz's creation, patched together with her own hands, created from the love that she felt for him.

For the first time since he woke from death in that gymnasium with Michael and Isobel, he was suddenly optimistic that he may finally have a future.

And it was all thanks to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shakespeare. Quoting. Nerd.
> 
> "...in that sleep of death what dreams may come…" is from Hamlet.  
> “A star danced and under that was she born...” again, is from Much Ado About Nothing.  
> “I love you with so much of my heart, that none of it is left to protest.” also from Much Ado About Nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

Liz wouldn't let them check back into the motel. She insisted on Max and Michael coming to stay at her apartment. Somehow this resulted in Max getting bullied into taking Liz's bed, while Michael slept on the couch. Which is how he found himself, lying alone in a king sized bed, in a dark bedroom, surrounded by sheets and pillows that smelled like Liz.

It should be comforting, relaxing. Max couldn't deny that he was exhausted. But the whole thing felt so surreal that he was wide awake, smelling the familiar scent of desert rose, and listening to Liz and Michael’s soft, murmuring voices, their words incomprehensible through the closed door. He kept closing his eyes, hoping to drift off, but when he did he just kept seeing her face, and wishing that he could hold her.

A gentle knock on the door startled him out of a daydream of a better time in his life. Liz peeked into the room.

"Hey," she greeted him with a soft smile when she saw that he was awake. 

He propped himself up a bit. "Hi."

"Thought you could use some water," Liz explained, as she delivered the glass of water at his bedside. She turned to leave.

"No, stay!" Max insisted, hoping he didn't sound too desperate. "Please stay."

Liz nodded and pulled a chair up to his bedside. She sat and placed her hand over his, where it rested on the edge of the bed.

"How're you feeling, babe?" She asked him softly.

He turned his hand so that he could thread their fingers together. It felt so right, he couldn't help releasing a sigh of relief. When he didn't answer her questions, she just kept talking.

"Kyle's flying in first thing in the morning. We'll give him a day to rest and get up to speed on things, and then the day after tomorrow we should be able to do your transplant."

"I still can't believe you did all of this for me. After everything I did. I don't deserve this."

"Of course I did this for you. I would… I'd do anything… It's me, Max."

"You say that like I should just know that. But...I broke your heart. And you… you just left. Again. We weren't together very long. I've spent far more of my life wanting you...waiting for you…that's what feels normal to me. Our…" Max swallowed, blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall. "Us… it was just like a moment in time for you."

"Oh, Max." Liz pulled their joined hands from the bed and pulled them up to lay on her chest, directly over her heart. "Can you feel that? Can you feel my heart beating?"

"Of course."

"It's for you, Max. My heart beats for you." Liz paused, and Max could see her trying to gather her thoughts. 

"Look, Max. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that it was perfect. We have a lot of crap to sort out so that we can get...us...right. But that  _ moment in time _ or whatever you want to call it changed everything for me. There's never going to be another you. Yeah, you hurt me. And afterwards I needed some space to breathe, and to grow, and to just...figure out who I am now, because I'm not the same person who drove into Roswell and chewed you out at a DWI checkpoint a few years ago."

Max chuckled at the memory. But then his brow furrowed as her words sunk in. "Did you? Figure out what you needed to know about yourself?"

"I think so… yeah."

"Liz, there's so much we need to talk about. So many things…" Max yawned widely, surprising himself.

"You need rest," Liz told him firmly. 

"Yeah… but… I have so much to explain to you…" 

"Sleep now. We can talk later." She got up to leave, pushing her chair back from his bedside.

"Liz?" he asked softly. "Will you stay with me?"

She smiled softly at him, and then leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead. She lingered there for a moment, breathing him in gently. 

“I'm not ready to sleep yet, Max. And Michael and I have work to discuss. Rest for now. I'll come in later and join you, okay?"

"Mmm," Max mumbled his agreement. "Love you."

"I love you too, Max."

~*~*~* _ ~ _ *~*~*~

It felt like it was all happening so fast. 

Two days earlier was just a typical day in her L.A. life. In the lab before dawn working on her study. Lunch with Diego and Naomi, which was fun until Naomi had started pitching yet another blind date for her. She was always trying to set Liz up with random guys, but Liz wasn't remotely interested. Diego just shook his head and wondered out loud what it was about Max that had her so hung up. Liz swore that Diego and Naomi would never understand what she had left behind in Roswell when she moved to L.A.

After lunch, her friends dropped her back at Genoryx, and Naomi, always so sweet and friendly, jumped from the car to give Liz a hug goodbye. They had a meeting with the florist for their forthcoming wedding, so Diego was skipping out of work for the afternoon. Liz was ready to dive back into her research.

Just as her friends pulled away from the curb, Liz felt her heart skip a beat in a familiar way that left her feeling overwhelmed. A wave of emotion flooded her senses. It wasn't her own feelings that she was feeling, but she knew them like they were her own. Because she had felt them before. Her hand flew to her chest, clawing at her heart, as she looked up just in time to see a familiar Jeep with New Mexico plates turning the corner and disappearing from sight.

"Max…"

She rushed straight upstairs to her office and called Isobel.

"Liz? What's going on?"

Isobel sounded worried, and Liz couldn’t really blame her. She’d been in California for nearly a year and she hadn’t called Isobel once.

"He's here, isn't he? Max? He's in L.A."

Isobel was silent for a long moment, before softly confirming what Liz had already figured out, "Yes."

"I knew it. I could feel him.” Liz realized all of a sudden that her free hand was pressing desperately to her chest, right over her heart. Right where Max had healed her. She dropped her hand and clenched it into a fist to keep it from subconsciously returning to the spot where Max had marked her. “What's happening, Isobel? I need to know."

"Liz, I really shouldn’t…” Anger flared up inside of her at Isobel’s hesitation. She clenched her fist again as Max’s sister insisted, “You should talk to him, not me."

"I'd love to, but I just watched him drive away from me!” Liz cried out, her frustration surging to the surface. “It's his heart, isn't it? It's failing?"

"How did you…?"

"We always knew there was a chance it wouldn't last,” Liz reminded her. “Even with the pacemaker nothing was certain. He's dying, isn't he?"

"Yes."

"I need…do you know where he's staying? I have something to talk to him about. Please, Isobel."

Isobel sighed. "I talked to Michael last night, briefly. They're at some fleabag motel. I don't know exactly where. I'll try to get more from him tonight, okay?"

"Michael is with him?"

"Yeah." Isobel paused, and hesitated for a moment, before finally saying, "It's bad, Liz. Really bad. Max is fading fast. Prepare yourself, okay?"

Liz's anxiety was elevated after she talked to Isobel. She couldn't focus on her Genoryx work. Not while Max was nearby and dying. She went into her office closet where she kept the alien science secured behind a series of locks. She held in her hands the glass jar where Max's healthy new heart floated in stasis in the glowing pod fluid. She turned the jar in her hands, studying the organ from every angle, checking it for imperfections or issues. There was nothing. Jones had kept his word. The heart was perfect. She just needed to get it transplanted into Max's chest.

Isobel texted her late that night with an address.

"Max is asleep. Michael says to come first thing in the morning."

A day and a half later, that's how Liz found herself waking up on the wrong side of her own bed, curled up beside Max. His breathing was ragged, even in sleep, and the sound of it broke her heart. But she wasn't scared anymore. There was no doubt in her mind that the new heart would work. This time, when Max woke up from his surgery, it was going to be healthy and with certainty that he would be okay. 

Max would be strong again. He'd be able to use his powers and grow stronger like Isobel. He would have a long life in front of him.

She left Max and Michael at her condo and drove to the airport to meet Kyle. When he emerged from the terminal, Liz was somehow not surprised to see Isobel beside him. She greeted them both happily and thanked Kyle profusely for coming.

"I wouldn't trust any other surgeon with him," Liz told Kyle firmly.

"No other surgeon has ever completed an alien heart transplant," Kyle reminded her. "I'm your only option."

"Still...thank you."

She drove them to the Genoryx building and gave Kyle a tour of its medical facilities. 

"I booked the O.R. for tomorrow at 9am," Liz explained. "One perk of being in L.A., I marked it as a VIP patient, which usually means a high paying celebrity who needs absolute privacy. That means no security cameras, no observers, no disruptions, no questions."

"Good," Isobel remarked. "No evidence."

"Let's go to my office and I'll walk you through what I learned from Jones. It's gonna be just a little different than last time. Turns out that Noah and Michael weren't really good matches for Max's biology. Jones let me study him, and he and Max are just slightly different. There's a little more tech inside of them, which probably explains why Max is so in tune with electricity. Because that energy is inside of him all the time. It's literally woven through his cells, his organs...it flows through his veins. It's.. it's just utterly amazing."

"Awesome. So Evans isn't just an alien, he's also a cyborg?"

"He's Max, Kyle. Nothing has changed,” Liz insisted with a roll of her eyes.

"That explains why I couldn't do any of the things that Max can do," Isobel realized. "I was able to pick up Michael's skills easily enough, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't manipulate electricity or heal."

"Anyway, what it means is that it was easier for me to create a new heart for him almost from scratch. Jones provided sufficient cells so that I could naturally bond the flesh to the tech, which allowed the heart to almost grow itself after the application of alien protein compounds.”

“And you’re sure it worked?” Michael pressed.

“Oh it worked,” Liz told him confidently. “It was absolutely fascinating. Once the pulmonary arteries were fully formed I flooded them with an alien energy compound that absorbed into both portions of the organ. The electrical signals in the tech powered up and flooded through the entire organ like a shock wave. Electricity...fractals...just shooting like lightning through his heart. After that, it became clear to me that we had a fully functional heart that was ready for Max.”

“Were you able to test its viability?” Kyle asked. “No offense Liz, but I’d really like this to be my last time performing an alien heart transplant on Max Evans.”

“Jones and I ran every test we could think of on it. It passed all of them. It’s stronger and healthier than Noah's heart ever was. It just needed a little more growth and then a few weeks in stasis to allow it to stabilize."

"And you're sure?" Isobel asked one more time. "You're absolutely positive that it'll work this time?"

"Yes," Liz insisted firmly. "This time I wasn't guessing or working blindly. This time I had Jones to compare my work to. He and I are both confident that I got it right." Liz paused and opened a file with a diagram of the heart. "Kyle, let me show you the differences between the last heart and this one. Some of the valves are in a slightly different position, and the aorta has slightly thicker walls. See here?"

She and Kyle walked through the procedure verbally, while Isobel lounged in a chair and played with her phone. Finally, once Liz was confident that she and Kyle were both ready for the surgery, she suggested that they head back to her apartment to check in on Max and Michael.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  
Max wasn’t at all surprised when Kyle walked into Liz’s bedroom that evening.

"Evans. You look like hell, as always."

"Thanks for coming, Doc."

"Yeah, well...I told Liz to find another surgeon with experience in alien heart transplants, but strangely, there didn't seem to be a good replacement."

Kyle pulled the spare chair up to Max's bedside and sat beside him, studying him carefully. 

"This is one hell of a Hail Mary play, Evans. You know you could have avoided a lot of misery if you had just come to see Liz the first time I suggested it instead of waiting until you're knocking on death's door."

"Yeah, well...you were right, Kyle."

"What's that? Your voice is sounding a bit weak there?"

"Did you know?" Max asked. "Did she tell you about the heart all of those months ago?"

"She told me yesterday. Trust me, Evans. If I had known there was a definitive path to saving your life, I would have told you. You're lucky, Max. You had Liz in your corner, even if you didn't know it."

"Yeah," Max admitted.

"So let me talk you through this. You were unconscious last time so we didn't have to worry about it. No food or drink starting at 8pm tonight. Sleep as much as you can. We'll put you under, but we're really not certain how your chemistry will react to the sedation, so we'll be monitoring your vitals very carefully. We're all going to fight like hell for you, Max. Liz is confident about the new heart, but surgery is always dangerous. We almost lost you on the operating table last time. And Rosa's not here to kick start things this time."

"I trust you," Max told him firmly. "My life is in your hands."


	5. Chapter 5

Liz wasn't used to having a packed apartment. Thankfully, Genoryx had been generous when they set her up in L.A. It was late, as Liz carefully made her way through the apartment, checking on everything.

The door to the spare room was closed. Liz pressed her ear to it to check for noise. It was silent. It had taken some bullying on Isobel's part to push Kyle into taking the bed. Isobel wanted the surgeon to be well rested before he cut open her brother's chest cavity in the morning. 

Max's siblings were in the main room of the apartment, Michael sprawled awkwardly in an armchair, snoring lightly, while Isobel stretched out on the couch. They both seemed as comfortable as could be given the circumstances. 

She slipped into the kitchen and filled a glass of water, before hitting the kitchen light off and silently making her way back past the sleeping aliens to her own bedroom.

Max was in the bed, his breathing still haggard and unsteady. He wheezed in and out, painful-sounding breaths that released shakily. Each one felt like a pinprick to her heart. 

If she hadn't come back to Roswell...if Wyatt Long hadn't shot her...if she had never learned that aliens were real, maybe Max wouldn't be hurting now. Maybe he never would have brought Rosa back, given himself a heart attack, died…

Liz shook the thought away. It was silly, naive of her to think that way. In the hypothetical world that she was imagining, Noah would still be alive. Innocent people in Roswell would still be turning up as his murder victims. Isobel would still be married to him, Rosa would still be dead, and her body would still be Noah's prized possession. 

Not to mention Liz wouldn't know what it feels like to be in love. The rollercoaster of emotion that came with letting Max into her heart had changed her. She had felt happiness during the highest moments beyond anything she thought possible. The devastation and pain that came from losing him, on the other hand, was far too familiar.

Shaking her head, she pushed the irrational thoughts away. She pulled out a tank top and shorts from her dresser drawer and quickly changed. 

"Liz…?" 

His sleepy voice was a little weaker than normal. He sounded young, more like the boy she grew up with than the man she met when she returned home after her decade-long exodus.

"I'm here." She made her way around to the empty side of the bed and slid in beside him. She rolled to face him, and with a grunt he managed to do the same. 

"Hi."

"Hi yourself," she replied back with a smile. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" She reached up and brushed a hand across his forehead, pushing a bit of his hair out of his face.

"Liz… I need to talk to you about some things, just in case…"

"Nope," Liz interrupted, with a firm shake of her head. "We're not going there."

"It's a possibility Liz,” Max insisted. “And I don't want to die with things left unsaid. Again. Okay?”

Liz felt her resolve deflate as she remembered the anxiety she felt when she was certain that Max was going to die. She had been panicked at the thought of him dying without her getting the chance to say those three words to him. Words that she  _ could have said  _ before he died and didn’t. There was a reason that once she finally said it, those words were like a tidal wave, cascading from her lips whenever the opportunity presented itself. Because she had lived with those regrets. Which meant she would be a hypocrite if she didn’t let Max say his piece now.

"Okay,” she conceded.

"Everything that happened back home after you brought me back…all of the lying...it's not what I wanted for us. I...I don't even know what happened. I just know that something changed between us and we couldn't...fix it."

“It was my fault,” Liz insisted. "I was so scared of losing you that I was treating you like you were made of glass."

"But it wasn't just that,” Max disputed. “I mean, you were clearly right about the heart. But I was lying to you too. I wasn't talking to you about what I was going through. And I should have. There was no reason to keep it all inside. I think sometimes, I’m just so used to keeping secrets that it’s my default reaction to the hard stuff. But I don’t want to keep secrets from you. I want us to be a team."

"Do you want to try to talk about it now?” Liz offered. “I'm here."

"It was…a lot. All at once.” Max stammered. He wasn’t meeting Liz’s eyes all of a sudden and his discomfort was palpable as he spoke. “Noah told me I was some kind of savior, and then I killed him and I…I felt like a God. You know that wasn’t the first time I had killed someone, but it _was_ the first time I had killed someone and I liked it. I felt like I could do anything, no consequences. It was so...alien.” 

Finally he looked at her. When their eyes met, Liz suddenly realized—Max was afraid. That side of himself frightened him.

“The only thing that always anchors me back to Earth is you. And the last time I saw you before I found Rosa’s body, you were still in so much pain. Even with Noah gone. So I pushed all of that  _ alienness _ into bringing Rosa back for you. And it...it killed me."

“Max…” Liz started to interject, her frustration at him for making that choice boiling back to the surface.

"Please let me get this out,” he pleaded. “That overwhelming power combined with the dark energy I absorbed while healing Rosa was the last thing I felt before I died. And in my mostly dead state of mind, all I knew was that the power was dangerous and I was dangerous with it inside of me. So I wanted to stay dead. I thought I'd come back wrong, that I’d never be able to get rid of that energy, that...that maybe I'd hurt you.”

“I don’t think you ever could hurt me like that,” Liz interrupted. “You’d never let yourself. I’m the one that grounds you. Never forget that.”

“I wasn’t exactly myself at the time. It’s easy to acknowledge that now, but in the moment, if you had let me have my way...I’d be gone right now.”

“Well I guess it’s a good thing that I was stubborn and refused to let you go, then, isn’t it?”

“Well, that and your incredible mind,” Max smiled and shook his head. “I mean, my God, Liz…you brought me back from the dead! It shouldn’t have been possible, but you did it. And that just…"

"...felt like a high. Holding the key to life in your hands. It makes you feel like a God,” Liz couldn't help inserting. It may not have been the same experience as the power that Max held in his hands, but she definitely related to the elation that came with accomplishing extraordinary things that were previously impossible.

"Exactly," Max agreed.

"Yeah I got a little sense of that bringing you back, Max. We both know how that feels."

"Except...you've never killed anyone, Liz. I’ve both given life and taken it away, with my bare hands.” Max held up his hands, a look of disdain on his face as he studied them. “And the thing is, death feels a whole lot better than life. That scares me. I don't want to be a killer. But with what happened with Flint at Crash Con? I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself next time. Only a heart attack stopped me this time."

"I told you Max...we can figure that out together. I can try to help you,” Liz’s mind raced as she tried to figure out what she could possibly say to comfort him. “The fact that you don't want to kill anyone is the important part. Your biological instincts are telling you one thing, but your mind and your heart are telling you something else... that's a starting place that we can work from."

"I don't think I'll ever understand why you're not afraid of me,” Max told her, a wry smile on his face. “I'm afraid of me."

"I'm just going to have to figure out a way to make you understand, one of these days. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you."

“But I did,” Max reminded her. “That day, when we connected. I felt your love for me. I know there’s truth in that. But I still don’t really understand why. But...I think I’m beginning to figure out why that’s so hard for me to accept. After you brought me back, I started having memory flashes. From...before.”

"You remembered your life before the crash?" Liz gasped. Max nodded.

“Just...bits and pieces. So I started taking your antidote to try to see more of them. And I knew you wouldn't like that, so I didn't tell you about the memories and I tried to keep you from finding out about the antidote.”

“What do you remember?” Liz asked.

"None of it was any good. That’s why I was so desperate to find out more. I remember back on my home planet—I was chained up and locked in a cave. And I...I felt like that was a good thing. Like, I was bad, dangerous. I should be locked up so that I don't hurt anyone."

"Max, you were seven years old. Younger, probably! That's child abuse!" Liz felt a rage rising inside of her at the thought of it. From his youngest days, Max had been treated like there was something wrong with him. No wonder it was so hard for him to accept that he was a good person. 

"And then I found out that after we came out of the pods, I was the kid that the social workers were concerned about, not Michael. I was the only one who showed signs of previous trauma,” Max’s voice was getting more agitated, and the floodgates just opened out. “And then I found out Isobel and I aren't related, but she and Maria are. She gained a real relative and I just lost everything I thought I knew about myself. In addition to losing my job and my sense of purpose. Everything seemed to be falling apart around me. And I was spiraling."

"And instead of being there for you, I was lying to you and studying your DNA,” Liz finished guiltily.

"Well, yeah, but...I wasn't exactly letting you in, so how could you know?"

"I should have been paying more attention instead of obsessing over the next life that needed saving."

"But you said it, Liz. You needed space from me. You needed some time to just be you.”

"Yes. I did,” Liz conceded. “But I think we should be adult enough to be able to take the time we need for our own mental health and still be able to see that the other is in pain."

"If I make it through this, Liz, I don't want to screw it up again. I want to be a team. For real this time."

"Me too," Liz agreed. "And I promise, no more unsanctioned alien science. I hated lying to you. And it was wrong of me to push forward with that research without your consent. I'm sorry." Liz pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Rest, Max. It's a big day tomorrow."

"Love you."

"Love you too."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max kept thinking how strange they would look to observers as they entered the medical wing at the Genoryx lab the next morning. Michael pushing Max's wheelchair, Isobel following close behind. Kyle and Liz led the group, both of them donned in their white coats, heads close, as they talked through their plan for the procedure one last time. 

Liz scanned them into the secure area, hitting a series of buttons on a security panel to lock them down from unwanted visitors. She pointed Max and his family towards a nearby recovery room, and directed Max to change into a hospital gown. When he was done, Michael helped him across the hallway to the operating room, where Liz and Kyle had changed into their scrubs and were sterilizing in preparation of the surgery. 

"Operating table!" Liz directed them, and Michael helped Max over to the table, where he lay and waited. 

Isobel joined them in the O.R. a few minutes later, and as Kyle set up to administer the anesthesia, Liz walked Isobel through the various readings on the computer beside them, explaining the various warning signs to watch for. 

"Liz, ready to go?" Kyle asked her when he was done with his preparations. Liz hurried over to Max's side.

"Looks like we're ready to do this," she told him. "We're going to put you under. Rest, Max. I'll keep you safe. When you wake up, you'll have a whole new future to look forward to."

"I trust you," Max told her. "And I love you." Because if he somehow didn't make it through this, he wanted it to be the last thing she heard him say to her.

"I love you too."

Kyle handed Max the vaporizer's mask, and he put it on, breathing in the vapor as steadily as he could, until his eyes drifted closed.

~*~*~* ~*~*~*~

Max had been under for about an hour.   


His chest cavity was open, that strange, unearthly glow emanating from inside of him. She and Kyle were carefully detaching Noah's shriveled, rotten heart from his body, when there was a soft ring, notifying the O.R. that someone had entered the viewing gallery. 

Liz looked up to the glass windows above and gasped at the sight of Diego, looking down at them, eyes narrowed.


	6. Chapter 6

"Get out of there!" Liz shouted up to Diego, venom in her voice. "Hallway, NOW!"

Liz stormed from the O.R., ripping the gloves from her hands and dropping them into the trash as she pushed her way through the double doors.

"Are you serious right now, Diego? We have security protocols for a reason. You just think you can barge in here and…"

"Is that Max?"

"Diego, please?"

"His...his chest cavity… it was glowing."

Liz let out a frustrated noise and paced a few steps away from Diego, trying to clear her head enough to respond.

"I'm sorry, Liz… I was nosy. The paperwork said VIP patient and you didn't say anything the other day when we talked last. I know you're not operating as part of your research right now. So I was just...curious...what celebrity came here for you. I… I never would have if barged in if I knew…"

"Well now you know. And frankly, we could use another set of hands. You up for it?" 

"Anything you need."

"Go prep. Join us when you're ready. And say nothing, Diego. Top secret, okay?"

"Got it."

Liz hurried back to the O.R. Isobel stood by the monitors waiting expectantly. Michael looked pissed. And even Kyle seemed disappointed with her.

"He saw more than he should have," she reported.

"Do I need to fry his brain?" Isobel asked.

"No," Liz insisted sharply, before shaking her head and backpedaling. "Well, at least not yet. I told him to prep and come help us. We could use another set of trained hands, and if he's in here we can keep an eye on him. We'll see how he's doing after we're done. And then maybe I'll let you do your thing with him. We'll see if we need to."

They continued pushing forward with the transplant. When Diego joined them, Liz instructed him to take over for Isobel in monitoring Max's vitals, and sent Isobel up to the gallery to ensure that no one else interrupted them the way that Diego had. 

Kyle was meticulous as he carefully connected each of the heart valves. Diego followed instructions and didn't ask questions. Step by step, hour by hour, they worked through the process of saving Max's life. 

At one point Liz looked up and made eye contact with Isobel watching from above. Max's sister looked worried, and it reminded Liz of all of the uncertainty the last time they went through this. That time, all they were trying to do was to bring Max back long enough to say goodbye. This time though… This time they were bringing him back for good. Liz looked Isobel in the eye and nodded firmly, confident in the procedure.

There was no close call this time. No panic, no tears, no sobbing screams. There was no need for Rosa to shock the heart back to life. The heart had been holding its power with no issue for weeks. Once it was fully installed in Max's chest, all it took was a brief shock from the defibrillator and it jumped to life, beating strong and steady.

This time, Liz waited until after they were done closing him up, before she made her way around the operating table to place her lips on Max's forehead.

"You're gonna be okay," she whispered to him, before gripping the gurney and pushing him, with Michael's assistance, to his recovery room across the hallway. She left him there with his siblings and hurried back to the operating room, where Kyle and Diego were carefully cleaning the room and equipment, trying to remove any trace of Max's DNA that might have been left behind. Liz stripped her operating gear off and added it to the bag of refuse that needed to be destroyed.

Once they were confident the room was clean, Liz turned her attention to Kyle.

"Kyle. I can never thank you enough for all of this. For flying out to operate. For helping me save Max. Again."

"It's okay, Liz. I've got your back. You've got mine. And don't you dare ever tell Evans this, but I'm starting to like the guy. I'd better check on him. Are you good?"

Liz glanced over at Diego, who was waiting silently nearby. 

"Yeah. I'll be over in a little bit."

Kyle left the operating room, leaving Liz and Diego alone, silently staring at each other. 

"Come on," Liz told him with a sigh. "Let's go talk in the gallery."

She led him out of the O.R. and up the stairs to sit in the room overlooking it. Staring down at the empty room where just a little while earlier, Max had been lying with his chest cavity open. Liz thought of what it must have looked like to Diego, peeking through the glass for the first time to see the shimmering pink and purple light that emitted from Max's core.

"Can we trust you?" Liz asked him. 

"Elizabeth…of course you can."

Liz sat there and considered his answer. She thought back to all of her experiences with Diego, from their relationship and engagement, a time she would have trusted him without hesitation. But since then… she recalled her hesitation to talk about her alien research with him and how overly eager he seemed to get her to talk. She remembered that he broke into her secret lab back in Roswell. They had never discussed what he may or may not have seen in the lab the night of CrashCon. For all she knew, he already suspected that she was involved in something extraordinary and unearthly. 

After Max destroyed her research it felt irrelevant, which is why she never asked him what he saw in there. But now, in retrospect, the ease at which he had invaded her space suddenly left her feeling a sharp anger. And today he had again displayed a complete lack of respect for the security protocols. 

"You say that I can trust you," Liz finally replied, "but I'm not convinced Diego. I was extremely cautious in establishing security for this surgery, and you busted right in here like it meant nothing. You broke into my lab back in Roswell too, didn't you? So how can I be sure? Because this is the most important secret that I've got. There are lives on the line if you can't be trusted."

"Max's life."

"Yes. Among others."

"You know, I couldn't figure out what it was about him when I met him in Roswell. He seemed so...ordinary. Just a typical small-town white guy. Not nearly good enough for you, Elizabeth..."

"Max is a miracle," Liz interrupted. "He pushes himself to be a better person every day, to fight against his instincts, to make up for his mistakes. He...he loves so deeply. He'd do anything for his family, for me...even at his own expense."

"You really do love him."

"I do. Which is why I need to know if we can trust you or not, Diego."

Diego met her eyes. "You can trust me."

This time, Liz believed him.

"Max, Michael, and Isobel are aliens. They were just kids when the UFO crashed in 1947, in these stasis pods that were left abandoned in the desert. They hatched out of the pods in 1997."

"Aliens," Diego repeated with a scoff. "I guess it makes sense. No human tissue glows like that. How'd you end up mixed up with real aliens?"

"Max, Michael, and Isobel grew up in Roswell like normal kids. I've known them all my life. Max was kind of my ' _ what if _ '? I had feelings for him at the end of high school and it almost turned into something. He...he told me later that he had been in love with me since the day we met...since we were seven years old. He had been just waiting for me to catch up. And I did catch up...right when I was leaving town. Max wanted to come with me. But then Rosa died and I was such a mess...I left without him. I didn't see him again until after I left you in Denver. I bumped into him that night on my way into town."

"Since high school…" Diego mumbled with a sigh. "My God...did you even love me at all, Elizabeth?"

"Honestly, Diego...I don't think I knew what love felt like back when we were together. I wanted to be in love with you. I meant it when I said yes to you. Max had nothing to do with my decision to leave you. To be honest, I didn't think about him much over the years. You know how I was back then. I preferred to pretend like home and anything associated with it didn't exist. That included Max."

"Until you saw him again and it all came rushing back?"

"Diego… that night was intense. It both was and wasn't that simple. Yes, when I saw him again I remembered feeling things for him back in high school. But that night I was shot. I would literally be dead right now if not for Max. He sacrificed his secret to save my life. And then he told me everything."

"So what's up with the transplant? How do you find an alien heart?" 

"Ahh, well I grew the heart from alien stem cells using my protein theory."

Diego nodded and smiled. "Of course you did. Elizabeth Ortecho, creating miracles in the lab. That's amazing."

"As for Max, he had a heart attack. He was pushing himself beyond his body's limits. For me. And it nearly killed him. The operation to try to save him resulted in him having an extremely weak cardiovascular system that was slowly failing. But it bought me enough time to grow the new heart for him. Now we get to see if it works or not."

"It's gonna work."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I know you. You refuse to fail, Ortecho. You wouldn't have done the transplant if you weren't confident in your work."

Liz felt a surge of appreciation for Diego, for understanding her drive and motivation as a scientist. She smirked at him. "Yeah...I know it's gonna work."

"Knew it."

Liz laughed. "Thank you. I should check on Max. I want to be there when he wakes up. Are we…are you going to be okay with this? You can't tell anyone about this. Not even Naomi. You understand how risky it is, right?"

"I get it. It's okay. Your secret is safe with me."

Liz nodded and turned to leave. Just before she reached the door, Diego called her back.

"Hey, Ortecho? There was no non-disclosure agreement, was there?"

"Of course not,” Liz confirmed with a laugh. "I never would have broken an NDA. It was just my personal alien research. I couldn't resist picking your brain, even though I knew it was risky. I was dumb. And I almost lost Max because of it. Not gonna make that mistake again."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was quiet in the recovery room.

Liz had asked Michael to take Kyle back to her apartment to rest. Isobel had walked over to the Century Mall for some food. Which gave Liz some solitude with Max while waiting for him to regain consciousness. 

The past few days had been a whirlwind. The sudden appearance of Max and Michael, flying Kyle and Isobel out, and the whole lot of them filling her apartment...her quiet, unexciting life as an antisocial workaholic in Los Angeles seemed to disappear in an instant. But it was all worth it to get the new heart into Max's chest. 

She studied his face, starting from the messy mop of dark hair that somehow turned curly as it grew. Growing up, Max always kept his hair cropped short enough that she always assumed it was straight like hers, until last year when, unemployed, he grew indifferent about his appearance. Her eyes traced down the curve of his nose, to the lips that she couldn't wait to kiss again. Her gaze lingered on the lazy stubble on his jawline, tracing it with her sight when what she really wanted was to feel the roughness under her fingertips.

She thought back to meeting Jones for the first time and how immediately she felt like there was something wrong with him. How was it possible for two people to look so much alike and yet be so different?

Max exuded love, pain, sadness, hope...sometimes anger. His emotions defined who he was as a person, and he seemed to constantly struggle to hold them back, keep them inside of him. Jones was clinical, cold. He was a creature of control. His eyes and voice were always carefully masked so she couldn't ever see more than he wanted her to see. Sometimes, Liz found herself wondering if he felt anything at all. Like maybe in creating Max from Jones, they took his emotional core away and gave it all to Max. So that Max had the feeling of both of his selves all contained in one alien body. Maybe that's why Max loved so powerfully and Jones…just didn't.

Liz thought back to the day that she figured out how different Jones was in his core compared to Max. It was late and the lab had emptied out for the night, giving them the perfect opportunity for Liz to take some new samples from Jones now that she had sorted out some of her early mistakes. 

Once her last coworker left for the evening, she led Jones downstairs to the Genoryx medical facilities. She pointed him at the exam table and gave him orders.

"Sit. And take off your shirt."

She went to the closet to pull out the tools she would need to collect her samples, carefully selecting her materials and placing them onto the sterile surface of a rolling cart. When she rolled the cart out of the small room, she froze at the sight of him, sitting there wearing only his jeans.

Her mouth had briefly gone dry at the sight of him, so she swallowed as she re-centered herself. 

A humorless laugh escaped from his lungs.

"What?" she asked him, suddenly irritated with the man sitting there with Max's face, but who otherwise was nothing like her love.

"I can feel yer hormones going wild, sweetheart. Do we gotta handle your human weaknesses before we start, or are you gonna focus?"

Rage surged through her. Anger at herself for letting her guard down in front of Jones, but even more anger at him for suggesting that...that a medical room quickie could solve what she was missing in Max.

"If I didn't already know you're not Max, I would certainly know now," she told him as she rolled the cart up to his side.

"What, he'd never make such a lewd proposition?"

Liz took the large syringe from the tray in front of her and made her way around to the back side of the exam table. 

"I'm going to extract some spinal fluid. This is going to hurt a bit. I need you to stay perfectly still."

"No problem," Jones replied nonchalantly. And he kept his word. Liz had never seen a patient stay quite so still while she worked. 

_ Damn alien abilities. _

When she had what she needed, she made her way back around to the tray and deposited the needle. 

"Blood next," she informed him coldly, as she prepped the vials.

"I asked you a question," he reminded her, "How're you sure I ain't Max now?"

Liz sighed and set the vials back down on the tray and turned to step closer to him.

"Max has tattoos," she explained. "One here," she pressed her hand to his bicep, where the longhorn skull should be. "Another here," she continued, moving her hand to the side of his torso, "and a big one on his right shoulder. Plus he has a scar, right here," she traced her finger down the center of his chest in a straight line. "From his heart transplant."

She froze, her finger lingering on his abs, as she remembered how Max looked, lying there, dead on the hospital table, his chest cavity open as she and Kyle worked. She still had nightmares sometimes that they didn't succeed. That Rosa wasn't there and Max had died on the table. She hated the memory of it. She hated that the dreams wouldn't set her free.

"Sure ya don't need that quickie?" Jones drawled. He gave her a crooked, toothy grin as she glared at him.

"Plus Max had braces in the Fourth Grade," she informed him.

Liz hurried to finish taking the samples she needed from Jones. After the blood came hair samples, a vial of his saliva, and a small skin graft. Jones sat there patiently through it all. Then, after carefully cleaning and sterilizing the equipment, and bagging any waste with alien DNA on it, they headed back upstairs to her office.

She unlocked her newly secured secret closet, and grabbed the jar that held the flesh that would become Max's heart. Jones followed closely behind her, carefully keeping his body between her samples and the security camera.

The heart was slowly growing, progressing well, thanks to the electrical currents surging through it. Because, of course, Max needed electricity to function.

Liz took the syringe full of Jones' spinal fluid and held it up to the light, studying it carefully. The matter, full of his and Max's unique DNA, needed to be carefully inserted into the heart's valves just right. 

Liz's hand was steady as she inserted the needle carefully into the tiny tube and expelled the fluid, before carefully moving the heart back to the jar with the preserving solution and electric circuits, where it slowly would continue to grow. She held the jar up, smiling happily at it, before pressing a light kiss to the glass and returning it to the closet.

When she returned to the main lab, Jones was staring at her like she was the lab specimen instead of him. She narrowed her eyes at him. 

"What?" she asked him, annoyed and a bit discomforted by the look on his face.

"You humans...you're so soft, pliable. You're a slave to your emotions. Your minds are so easy to manipulate. I don't understand how you can survive this universe like that."

"Love isn't a bad thing," Liz argued. "I tried living my life with no connections. I did it for ten years. Coming home, reconnecting with my friends and family...falling in love with Max...all of it changed me for the better."

"Yes, but you're human. Max isn't. He's, well, he's me. Biologically we're identical. Our DNA, our cells, our hearts, our brains...all identical. We’re capable of the same abilities. So if he loves you, I should be able to do that too. But I look at you, and...nothing. You're nothing but a means to an end to me."

" _ Mil gracias _ ," she replied dryly. Liz studied him for a moment and then just shook her head. "The feeling's mutual though."

"No," he argued. "That's what your human brain can't seem to comprehend. There is no feeling."

The memory left her cold. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to rub the discomfort away. Jones was so… alien. She didn't like the way he made her feel while wearing Max's familiar face.

But Max was here now. And Jones wasn't. Max might be unconscious, but soon he would be awake, full of life, his new heart beating strongly and allowing him to fill the world with his love again.


	7. Chapter 7

The first moment he realized he was alive was when the steady beeping interrupted his rest. 

Softly it repeatedly pulsed its noise, steadily, over and over again. Then he realized his heart was beating along with that rhythm. Strong, steady beats. They didn't race or hesitate. He listened for a few moments and not once did his heart, or the beeps, beat off rhythm.

He wanted to get up, to test it, but his body felt bulky, heavy, impossible to lift. He wanted to open his eyes, but they remained glued together, defying his wishes. 

"Max?"

Liz's voice. She called for him, cautiously, but hopeful. He wanted nothing more than to open his eyes and thank her. But it was more than he could manage. He felt her hand cover his, feeling for his pulse. Her skin touching his, he relaxed and drifted back to sleep.

The next moment he was aware of, there were soft voices talking in the room. His sister. Isobel was there with Liz.

"Shouldn't he be awake by now?" Isobel sounded worried.

"Surgery is hard on the body, Isobel. Transplants even more so because the body has to adjust to that change, to working a little bit differently."

"Heart surgery is like getting a new engine into an old car. It might take a few tries before it starts up, but once it does it's good as new."

Michael. 

"Max isn't a car," Isobel protested. "God, you science nerds and your metaphors. Can you please remember that this is our brother's life, Michael?"

"He's going to be fine," Liz's voice insisted firmly. "His body just needs time to recover."

He tried desperately to open his eyes, to tell them he was okay. But it was like trying to lift weights. He only managed to open them a sliver, just enough to be blinded by the light in the room. Then he drifted off again.

_ There has to be three. _

The third time he regained awareness it was quiet again. He could again feel a warm hand covering his. This time, when he peeked his eyelids open, it was dark in the room. His eyes were able to adjust with less trouble, and he focused his attention on the figure beside him. 

Liz was sitting in a hospital chair, her hand holding his. But her head was tilted back and her breathing steady as she slept. There was a little bit of drool on the corner of her mouth. 

Max smiled.

He tested his free hand and lifted it easily. So he turned the hand resting under hers and laced their fingers together. 

Liz jerked awake at the sensation and sat quickly up.

"Hi,” he greeted her softly. His voice sounded gravely even to his own ears. But Liz smiled at him brightly, like his unused voice was music she'd been waiting to hear.

"You're awake."

"Yeah, I think it's gonna stick this time too."

"How do you feel?"

Max shifted slightly in bed and felt a sharp pain from the surgical wound. So he steadied himself and sighed. "Like I just had open heart surgery?" Liz laughed and nodded. "Did it work?" 

"I think so," Liz told him. "All signs indicate full success. But only time will tell."

"Time," Max repeated. "Huh. I have that now."

"You do," Liz agreed.

"For months it just felt like I was racing the inevitable end of it all."

"You shouldn't have to worry about that anymore."

"Thanks to you."

" _ Bueno _ ," Liz confirmed with a smile. She reached out and brushed his hair back from his forehead, her touch lingering on his forehead. He closed his eyes and savored her touch. It was missing from his life for what felt like so long, even though it hadn't even been a year. How could he go without her now that he had his life stretched out in front of him now? When she left Roswell he thought he was dying. There was nothing left to preserve, so letting her go had felt like a kindness, in a twisted way.

Almost as if she could read his dark thoughts, she pulled away from him, standing and stepping away from him. The cool air brushed his warm skin, and he shivered at the loss of her touch.

"I should get Isobel. And Michael. They'll want to see you now that you're awake."

"Yeah," Max agreed, watching sadly as she left him alone in the recovery room. 

Michael and Isobel appeared a few minutes later, but Liz wasn't with them. After the typical family check in on him, and his repeated assurances that he was okay, they regaled him with a story full of bickering about the tacos they had for lunch and how L.A. apparently didn't have good chiles. 

"Just jalapeño peppers, which I do  _ not _ want in my tacos!" Isobel complained.

"They sold pizza too," Michael added in. "No restaurant that takes itself seriously sells  _ both _ tacos and pizza."

Max feigned interest in their story, but his eyes kept flicking to the door behind them, wondering where Liz disappeared to, and when she'd be coming back. His mind was stuck on his last thoughts before she left, and this unexpected future that now lay before him. He just kept wondering whether or not that future would include her, or if his past actions were unforgivable. Clearly she wanted him alive, but did it go beyond that? Or now that her heart was beating in his chest, was she expecting him to leave, return to Roswell, go on with his life without her and leave her be.

"Yo, Max!" Michael caught him not paying attention. "She had some work to finish up. She'll be back soon."

"God, he's pathetic," Isobel mocked with a laugh.

"Guilty as charged," Max agreed dryly.

Liz didn't reappear for a few hours, but when she did, she was on a mission. She walked in pushing an empty wheelchair with a determined look on her face.

"Okay, I need to check your wound, Max," she informed him. Michael and Isobel started towards the door, but Liz stopped them with a sharp, "You stay."

Max swallowed, trying not to react, as Liz unfastened the front of his hospital gown and pulled it open to examine his chest. She peeled back the bandage covering the incision and gently, carefully cleaned it and checked it for issues. Once satisfied that it was healing well, she dressed it and put a fresh bandage over it, her fingers sliding precisely as she secured the tape onto his skin. 

"Okay he's good to go," Liz announced. "Given everything, I think it's best for him to recover at my place. We don't need to attract any attention by keeping him here. Michael, I'm gonna need you to get him into the wheelchair.  _ With your powers _ . If you jostle him too much it could disrupt his healing."

"Gotcha," Michael confirmed.

It was incredibly strange to be moved by Michael's invisible powers. Michael had used his telekinesis to help Max frequently over the past few days, but he hadn't ever carried him fully that way, the way he floated dead bodies. It was disconcerting and Max didn't like it. He was relieved to be seated in the wheelchair and rolled from the recovery room to the elevator and down to the parking garage.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Recovering was less than eventful.

Liz put Kyle on a plane home to New Mexico quickly, reducing the occupants of the small 2 bedroom apartment by one at least. Isobel moved into the spare room, and she and Michael together dutifully kept Max company and monitored his recovery.

Liz was mostly scarce during the days. She still had a job, still had research in progress at Genoryx. She often left early in the morning before Max woke up, and returned late at night when he was fading. During those sleepy evenings she would check his wound, clean it, change the bandages. She would ask him questions about how he felt, and monitor his heart rate. But it left little time for talking before he would fade into sleep.

At least she was still sleeping beside him. It was the only part of their routine for that first week that made him optimistic about their future.

Ten days into Max's recovery, Michael decided he'd had enough of L.A. Max was doing fine, and Sanders was getting impatient about the work piling up. So he and Isobel packed up and climbed into Max's jeep early one morning, heading home to Roswell.

Just like that, he and Liz were alone together.

And suddenly she was everywhere. 

She was beside him in bed when he woke up in the morning. She was making him breakfast, helping him with the therapy exercises that Kyle left behind. Only when he was napping or reading or otherwise resting would her work computer come out of her bag. Then, she'd type away at whatever she was working on until Max needed help up, or it was meal time. Max wasn't sure what to make of any of it.

He tentatively started picking away at his questions one day.

"Hey Liz?"

"Hmm?" She looked up from her computer.

"Don't you have to go back to work? Finish your research or experiments or whatever it is you're doing at Genoryx?"

"It's taken care of, Max."

"It's just...you belong in a lab. It's such a waste to have you home everyday, caring for some invalid that you took in."

"I'm here because I want to be here," Liz told him, "And you aren't an invalid. You're recovering from a life-saving surgical procedure. You'll be back to normal before you know it."

She went back to typing on the laptop keyboard, leaving Max silently watching her, puzzled by her nonchalance.

"Do you want me to move into the guest room?"

The typing stopped. Liz stared at him, eyes wide. She finally mirrored the confusion that he had been feeling all week since his family left. She exhaled, a shaky, nervous breath, and then closed her laptop, setting it to the side.

"Do you want to move to the guest room?"

"I don't know. Not really, but we haven't really talked about…" he hesitated, swallowed nervously. "I feel like I've invaded your life here. I can give you more space if you need it. I mean, we're not even together…"

"We're not?" 

"You dumped me and then you left Roswell."

"You blew up my lab! You destroyed all of my research!"

"I'm sorry."

"You are?"

"Kyle had just told me that I was dying, and Diego was trying to get into the lab. My secret...my family's safety felt at risk. I panicked. I knew I should have called you, but I just kept thinking that I couldn't die on you again. So… yeah. I blew up your lab. I knew it would make you hate me. I knew it would make you leave. And then you wouldn't have to watch me die again."

"I lied to you about doing alien research because I didn't want you to stop me." Max narrowed his eyes, but stayed silent. "It was easier to pretend that I was worried about your health, but I knew you wouldn't be okay with it under any circumstances. Bringing you back to life...I accomplished something that should have been impossible. I just...I wanted to be able to cure the incurable with alien science. It was selfish of me."

Max couldn't help laughing suddenly. Liz sat there looking ashamed and all could think of was how much he adored her.

"God, I love you, Liz Ortecho. Only you would call searching for a cure for terminal illnesses a  _ selfish act _ . You were trying to make the world a better place."

Liz laughed with him, "Yeah I guess you're right." She paused, and met his eyes with a serious intensity. "I love you too, Max. I love having you here. I love helping you recover. I love falling asleep beside you and waking up next to you. Right now, this is exactly where I want to be, okay?"

"Okay." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Liz wasn't used to having down time. Relaxing wasn't really in her nature. She was a workaholic, constantly running from one project to the next, working late into the evenings. She often forgot to eat, because she was so focused on her research. 

Between projects too, she had always been constantly on the move. Usually applying for grants, moving to a new city, or traveling just because she could, would keep her busy until the next job started.

That was why when her funding was pulled so suddenly in Denver, she suddenly found herself at a loss on what to do with herself. She found herself at a crossroads. The path on the right would have involved planning a wedding, marrying Diego, and maybe staying in Denver forever, regardless of her uncertain job prospects. Which is why the realization that she loved the work more than him was so pivotal to her life.

That epiphany spurred her down the path to the left. That path was a late night drive down 285 South, home to Roswell. That path led her to get pulled over at an ICE-enforcement-dressed-up-as-DWI checkpoint and thus, a crash landing into her past thanks to Max Evans.

If anything her life in Roswell was even busier and crazier than her workaholic life before returning home. Near death experiences, a murder investigation, _actual aliens_ , raising people she loved from the dead...twice...all while pulling shifts at the Crashdown and monitoring her dad's health.

But now. Now she found herself alone in her apartment helping Max recover. She was on leave from Genoryx, didn't have significant work to do other than the proposal she was working on, and Max was getting stronger every day.

Which meant occasionally...she actually had to  _ relax _ .

Max thought it was hilarious how difficult it was for her. He wasn't cursed with the same need to stay busy. While she was overworking herself for a decade, he was working a normal schedule at the station. He fed himself over the years reading and writing in solitude. He thrived with free time.

So it was his suggestion that they find ways to relax together. Which is how they found themselves on the couch together every evening, binge watching Schitt's Creek.

There was something delightful about it. Liz had never heard Max laugh quite so much. Normally he was just so serious. But something about watching David and Alexis and Moira Rose had him completely loose, laughing at their antics with a deep, loud belly laugh that at first took Liz by surprise. But as they progressed through the episodes, she had come to adore it, just like she adored so many other things about him.

But as they finished the fifth season and started to dig into the last one, one of the storylines was hitting a bit too close to home for Liz. She found herself lingering on it one night as the episode was ending.

"God, they're so much like us, Max."

"What? No, we're nothing like David and Patrick!"

"No, not them. Alexis and Ted."

"Huh." Max looked like he was pondering over the comment, so Liz hit the power button on the TV, and turned to face him.

"I mean, I suppose I could see an argument for it. Alexis has grown so much since the start of the show, and now she's got this promising career, just like you…"

"No, no, no…you've got it wrong. Los Angeles is my Galapagos Islands. The dream job pulling me away from our small town life, asking you to come with me…."

"Wait, I'm Alexis in this metaphor?"

"Yes, Max. You don't belong in LA anymore than Alexis belonged on the Galapagos Islands. You belong… you belong underneath an open sky. Where the air is fresh and clear. Where you can see the stars at night."

"But what if I want to be where you belong?"

Liz's hand stroked his cheek gently. "I love that you love me enough to think that's true. But you're never going to feel right here. And eventually you're going to resent me for keeping you here. And I don't want us to be that couple, Max. I want us to be the couple that builds something solid and true to both of us."

"I want that too, Liz. I'm not going anywhere. Not without you."

"Good…" Liz took a deep breath. She'd been putting this conversation off, mainly because she wasn't sure if it was going to go anywhere. But things were changing so fast, and it was time now to come clean. "Max, do you want to know what I've been working on since I've been home with you?"

"I just assumed you were writing up your study's findings."

"No. I finished that before Michael and Isobel left. I've been working on a funding proposal...to set up my own research lab in Roswell. The costs are totally justified compared to the cost of living here in Los Angeles. Rent for a lab facility in Roswell is much cheaper than this apartment...and the rest of the cost can easily go to supplies for my research. I got word this morning that the CFO signed off. Genoryx is officially willing to pay me to do my work back home."

"So you're saying we can go home."

"As soon as you're well enough to travel."

"I knew once they saw what brilliant scientist you are that they'd value you enough to give you anything. That's amazing, Liz. I'm so happy for you.

"I'm so happy for us, Max."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He woke in the middle of the night feeling unsettled. Something felt wrong, and he didn't know what. 

Liz was sleeping soundly beside him, undisturbed by whatever had set him off.

"Howdy," a low voice greeted him.

"Jones," Max responded, as his eyes focused on the man sitting in the bedside chair. He checked Liz again. She hadn't even moved. 

"Don't fret over her. Humans. They're so receptive to just the slightest suggestion."

"What did you do to her?"

"She's fine. I just, let's say, encouraged her to stay asleep. She won't ever know I was here."

"I don't want you messing with Liz's head."

"You gonna stop me? I reckon it'll be fun to watch you try."

Max shivered. There was a menacing tone to Jones' voice, and Max knew he was right. Jones was far more powerful than him. The idea of Max fighting him right now when he could barely even get out of bed was laughable to say the least. So he quickly changed the subject.

"Thank you. For leading her in the right direction. I know I wouldn't be alive right now without your help. I just...I don't understand. Why did you disappear? We thought you wanted nothing to do with us."

"Y'all need to learn to communicate properly. The three of you, it's like you're shoutin' with your minds all the time. Givin' me a damn headache. But, suppose it has its benefits. Y'all were telling me everything goin' on, like what was happenin' with your heart, and where to find that Liz girl. So I took off to get some damn peace and quiet. And to...take care of your situation."

"But why? What do you care if I live or die?"

"I got my reasons." Jones looked past him to Liz's sleeping figure beside him. "That little lady is smart for a human. I thought she'd need a bit more convincing to help me."

"Did you...influence her into helping me? Did she even want to…"

"Stop yer fussin'. I didn't do nothin' to her. And I'm done. Got what I want outta her. She's all yours." Jones grinned and again, Max shivered. There was something not right about his counterpart.

"Anyways, you're alive now. My work here is done. You owe me. And one day I'm gonna come a callin'. Until then, enjoy your life. I'll be watching you."

Max opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, he saw Jones narrow his eyes. Before Max could even protest, his eyes rolled back and he fell deeply asleep. 

When he woke the next morning, there was no sign of Jones ever having been in the apartment.


	8. Epilogue

_Months later..._

~*~*~* _~_ *~*~*~

She woke, alone in the bed. 

There was sunlight streaming through the window, rays of warmth filled with lazy contentment. She smiled and stretched, rolling to face the empty side of the bed. She couldn't help burying her face in his pillow and breathing in deeply. He hadn't been gone long.

Rolling from the bed, Liz wrapped a long cardigan around her otherwise naked skin, and wandered out to find him. 

There was a fresh pot of coffee on the kitchen counter, their mugs sitting beside it. His Austin, Texas mug, adorned with longhorns and armadillos, was full of hot coffee, steam rising into the air as it cooled. Her Northwestern University mug, from the year she spent studying in Chicago, sat empty. She poured herself a cup.

There was a scrap of paper sitting beside the coffeemaker, a pen haphazardly lying beside it, a lingering sign of Max scribbling whatever was on his mind as he was waiting for the coffee to brew.

It was one of her favorite things about their life together. He was constantly scribbling his thoughts down, leaving beautiful notes around the house. She understood now that it was an indication that all was right with him. Last year, back when she first brought him back from the dead, he never seemed to write. It was like he was off balance, back when he had Noah's shriveled heart in his chest. Now he was whole again, and he was writing again.

She took a peek at the paper to see what was on his mind today. Just a few words, scribbled in his familiar handwriting, sat beside the coffeemaker.  
  


_How rare and beautiful it is to even exist..._

Liz's heart felt like it was going to burst.

The sound of the door pulled her attention, and she stepped from the kitchen to see Max walking through the front door, his arms full of firewood.

"You're up!" Max exclaimed, as he kicked the front door shut behind him. "I was just going to build a fire. The sunshine is warm but it's cold out there. I think it might snow soon."

He dropped the wood beside the kiva fireplace in the corner, before pulling the gloves off of his hands and shaking his jacket off of his shoulders. 

Liz picked up the two mugs of coffee from the kitchen and made her way across the room to him. He took his mug from her, and leaned down to kiss her good morning.

"Hi," she greeted him softly afterwards..

"Good morning," he answered happily. His free hand slid beneath her cardigan, wrapping around the bare skin of her waist, and pulling her flush against him. 

"Your hand is cold!" Liz protested with a squeak, but she didn’t pull away from him. Skin to skin, it would warm quickly. 

There was something about him this morning that was intoxicating. He radiated giddy energy. She wasn't used to seeing him like this, and she loved it. He kissed her again, and this time it lingered. Warm, insistent lips pressed together, as Liz's free hand traveled up to the soft hairs at his neckline, gently feathering through them as she held him close to her.

"Build the fire," she whispered against his lips, "then join me on the couch. With warm hands." She pulled away from him with a wicked laugh and wrapped the cardigan tighter around her body.

He shook his head and sipped his coffee as she made her way around the couch to sit. 

She watched him crouch down low as he stacked the wood into the kiva with precision. Her eyes trailed across his shoulders, down his back, lingering just below his hips. She set her coffee aside to cool, one drink forgotten as she watched her other one work. 

Fireplace set, he turned to look at her and grinned. "Watch this."

He stuck his hand over the wood, took a deep breath, and focused his energy. A bolt of electricity surged from his hand, hitting the kindling just right and lighting a small fire. 

"New powers!” Liz exclaimed. “When did you learn to do that?"

"I've been practicing at the junkyard with Michael."

"Very impressive."

The fire grew sufficiently, so Max made his way to the kitchen and washed his hands, before joining her on the couch. Liz shifted her weight, so that she was leaning against him, her head against his chest. 

"I love seeing you like this," she told him.

"Like what?" Max asked, and he seemed genuinely confused, which just made her shake her head.

"Happy...healthy...at peace. It suits you."

"Funny…because I don't think I've ever felt quite like this before." Liz gave him a look asking for him to continue. He licked his lips and took another sip of coffee. "Liz, I died once, and almost died two other times that I can think of. That heart failing and the crash. If not for the crash, who knows where I'd be right now? I could be on some other planet. I could be an old man. I could have already lived a whole life and died. But I didn't. Instead thanks to circumstances that were completely outside of my control, I ended up here and now. With you. I just...I feel so damn lucky to have this life."

"Well, that feeling is mutual," Liz agreed. “I’m so damn happy to be with you too.”

“I mean, I know things aren’t perfect,” he conceded. “Jones is still out there somewhere, and we still don’t know why Nora and Louise locked him up. We don’t know why he wanted me alive so badly. There’s definitely unfinished business there.”

“Well, yeah,” Liz agreed. “But we’ll find out the truth in time.”

“Meanwhile, I’m still an alien with a sketchy twin out there running around doing God only knows what while wearing my face.”

“Plus there’s the whole Rosa situation. And Hurricane Helena out there knowing the truth about aliens. Diego out there knowing the truth about you…” Liz drifted off and sighed. “Things are never going to be simple for us, are they?”

“Then we have to enjoy the calm between the storms,” Max insisted, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. 

Liz silently agreed, and closed her eyes, just savoring the feel of Max’s arm around her, his strong body warming her and making her feel secure and content.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
They had settled in easily to their new life together in Roswell. It took a bit of time to get started. They stayed in California until Max was healed up and strong. Once they were certain he could manage it, they started packing Liz’s life back up to return home.

But there was one thing left before they could leave California.

”I need to see the ocean,” Max had pleaded with her. She could only smile in response.

Their last weekend in California was spent driving up the coast on Highway 101. They flew past Ventura and Santa Barbara, winding their way north until they reached Big Sur. They camped for a night in the redwoods, cuddled up together in a blanket to keep warm, as fingers of rolling fog crept through the endlessly tall trees. They made love, the smell of sweat and sex, salt and pine filling the tent as they lost themselves in the moment. Max held her hand as they drove home, rushing past Zuma Beach in Malibu as the sun set beside them.   
  


“Thank you,” Max told her with a giddy smile. “This was exactly what I needed.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

"What's your plan for today?" Max asked her after he finished his coffee. "Are you going to work?"

"I could. I don't have to though. You've got a better idea?"

"No, actually. My fingers are itching. I've got this idea that I just need to get out of my head…" he trailed off somewhat awkwardly.

Liz laughed and feigned insult. "Oh, you _want_ to get rid of me so you can write."

"Yes?" His voice was sheepish, and Liz turned to face him. She debated giving him crap, making him squirm a bit, but when she looked at him she was just so happy to see him motivated and excited to write that she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead she knocked back the rest of her coffee, discarding the mug into the coffee table.

Liz shifted onto her knees, kicking one over his lap so that she was straddling him. She took his face into her hands, and kissed him, deep and long. Pulling back, she rested her forehead against his, breathing him in deeply for a long moment. His eyes drew her in like a magnet, the heat of his love for her shining brightly.

"I love you." Her voice was husky and serious. 

She pushed off of him and stood back, before he could respond. Putting space and air between them. 

"I have some new samples to process anyway. No time like the present."

She dressed for a workday in the lab, pulling her hair back, and putting on sensible shoes. When she made her way back to the front of the house, Max was already at his desk, writing furiously. She hated to interrupt him.

"I'm heading out. Want to meet at the Pony later?"

"Yeah, maybe," he replied distractedly as he finished his sentence. Finally he put his pen down and faced her. "Depends on the weather...don't get caught in the snow, babe."

"I won't. If it starts snowing I'll come straight home."

"Good. See you later. Love you."

"Love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “How rare and beautiful it is to even exist” is a line from Saturn by Sleeping at Last.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Highway to the Sun [Artwork]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28077171) by [notsodarling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/notsodarling/pseuds/notsodarling)




End file.
